


Blood Relations

by kitchenwitchbae



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Dynamics, Fix-It, Food, Friendship, Friendship is Magic, Good Dudley Dursley, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Magical Dudley Dursley, Muggleborn Wizard, Multi, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Past Abuse, Redeemed Dudley Dursley, Slice of Life, chosen family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2020-09-19 07:50:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20327644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitchenwitchbae/pseuds/kitchenwitchbae
Summary: Dudley Dursley was in shock. He glared at the backs of the heads of the men who were sitting in the front seats of the van. He didn't know why his tantrum wasn't working. He had screamed himself blue, refused to walk with the men in suits when they wanted him to walk, hit his cousin, his mother, the men and been sick on purpose. They had simply put him in the back of the van and put Harry in the seat next to him. They had loaded a few suitcases and then they were off and driving, leaving his house far behind him.Dudley Dursley doesn't know why, but his entire life is about to change. Magic, adventure, true friendships, and at the center of it all, his own cousin. To survive his danger-prone cousin and their crazy new lives, Dudley must learn that the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.





	1. The Chapter Where Everything Gets Ruined

**Author's Note:**

> Wotcher and hello! This is my pet project from many years ago on fanfiction.net under the username "frodoschick". Originally, this was just a bit of AU thinking that got out of hand after a night of Butterbeer and Felix Felicis cocktails. I've decided to rework and resubmit it on ao3 because it's honestly the best thing I've ever written and I miss writing it. I'm going to be trying to do justice to the original work while also fixing a few things that have been pointed out to me multiple times. As always, if I mess something up about British/UK culture and government because I'm an American, please let me know and I will do my best to fix it.
> 
> Tags, warnings, and relationships will change as the fic evolves.
> 
> Anyway, I own nothing and never have. Thank you, and enjoy!

Dudley Dursley was in shock. He glared at the backs of the heads of the men who were seated in the front of the van. 

He didn't know why his tantrum wasn't working. He had screamed himself blue, refused to walk when the men in suits wanted him to, hit his cousin and his mother _ and _ the men. He’d even been sick on purpose. 

Nothing had worked. The men in the suits had simply put him in the back of the transport van. They even had to buckle him in. Then, they’d put Harry in the seat next to him. They had loaded a few suitcases, slammed the doors closed, and then, they drove Dudley and his cousin off, leaving Dudley’s house and his sobbing mother far behind them. 

He started to kick the seat in front of him. The men didn’t even notice. Or they were pretending not to. He kicked extra hard. Still nothing. He stopped kicking.

Dudley, arms folded and in a bad mood, glared across the way at his cousin. This was all _ his _ fault. He knew it was. Harry _ always _ ruined everything. Harry couldn’t even look at him, just stared out of the window.

Dudley slumped down in his seat and returned to kick the seat in front of him. 

Yes, Harry ruined everything. He had even ruined school. 

Dudley had been having a great time in his first year at primary school. He was getting good marks on his papers - gold stars. His mother helped him with any homework he’d had and he was the King of the playground. He always made sure that he had the best swings or was first down the slide, and if he wasn’t, his gang made sure that he was. And he personally made sure that nobody in his class or the other classes liked his cousin. Harry was _ weird _, and if his parents hated him, they had to have a good reason. 

Everything had been going great. Until that stupid family tree assignment.

Their teacher was Ms. Plumridge, a pretty young woman with brown hair that kept flopping out of her bun into her eyes (his mother had made comments about how she never looked as tidy as a teacher should). For a project, she’d given them all a sheet of paper with a tree on it and had told them to fill it out with the branches of their families. Dudley had come back with a gorgeous tree, outlining his family all the way back to the 1700s. All the Dursleys and their great contributions to society. 

Harry didn’t have such a tree. Harry turned in a sad tree with just two small dots labeled “Mum” and “Dad”. He’d tried to add Dudley and his family, but Petunia made Harry erase that from his branches. Dudley had even laughed at Harry while his mum had stood over Harry as he was erasing.

What happened next, though, hadn't been funny.

The next week, men in black suits and men in funny looking clothes had both come to school and had the headmaster pull Harry out of class. Dudley had seen them through the windows, escorting Harry to the front office. Dudley was curious, but Ms. Plumridge was good at distracting the class with fun worksheets. 

That night, he had told his Father. Vernon Dursley’s face had paled. He demanded to know what the men wanted to talk to Harry about, and when Dudley had shrugged and said, "Who cares?", his Father had boxed him about the ears and sent him to get Harry from his cupboard under the stairs. Dudley had socked Harry, before making him go to his Father. 

The yelling that came after that had made Dudley feel slightly sick. 

Things happened very fast after that.

Suddenly, Harry was in his second bedroom, with his extra toys and things and his Father was making Dudley repeat that Harry had always had the second bedroom and that he was his cousin's best friend. 

His Father had been very scary when he had told him this, getting purple in the face and his mustache bristling with every consonant. Dudley said the script just right when the men in the black suits had come to visit, but something had gone wrong. 

He just knew that Harry had screwed it all up. He _ always _ screwed _ everything _ up. 

Now he was sitting in the back of a van instead of his room, the echoes of his Mother's sobs still ringing uneasily in his ears. 

The men drove for a while, before pulling into a quiet street. The van pulled up beside a small white house with a neat yard and blue shutters. There were big trees in the yard and flowering hedges along the fence. The men got out before pulling open the van’s doors. 

“Let’s go, boys,” the one with a bad comb-over said, gesturing for Dudley and Harry to exit the van. 

Dudley refused to move.

"I want to go home!" he shouted back, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest. The man sighed and literally pulled him out, unbuckling his seatbelt as he did so. An unusually pale and quiet Harry followed, standing quietly on the street. 

Dudley started up a screaming fit again. "I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go HOME!" The man with the bad comb-over seized his upper arm and half dragged, half walked him up the stone walkway to the front door. 

Harry followed behind them, with the other man starting to get the luggage out of the van. The man rang the doorbell as Dudley kicked and screamed. The door swung open and the woman standing there shocked Dudley into silence. 

It was his teacher, Ms. Plumridge.

She smiled warmly at them and opened the door all the way. "Hello!" Today, she was wearing a floral frock right out of the 1950s. Dudley thought it made her look frumpy. 

The man escorted Dudley and Harry inside the house. 

Dudley's first impression was that it was really simple. No lace on the tables or ornate ornaments on the walls. She had simple pictures of birds in the entryway. She led them into the living room where lemonade and biscuits were waiting on the coffee table. The man deposited Dudley on the couch and Harry sat on the far side, as far from his cousin as he could get while still being on the same piece of furniture.

"Where do you want the luggage, ma'am?" The other man called from the front door.

"I'll be right there!" Ms. Plumridge called back before smiling at Dudley and Harry. "Help yourselves to the snacks," she said with a smile. "I'm going to go help with the luggage. I’ll be right back!" She bustled off. 

Dudley immediately started stuffing his face with the biscuits. Harry didn't move to touch them. Dudley glared at him. He swallowed slowly.

"This is all your fault," he said, his mouth still full of crumbs. Harry jumped slightly. Dudley felt a savage sense of pleasure at seeing his cousin scared of him. "It's all your fault, I don't know what you did, but you'll pay for it."

"I didn't do anything," Harry said, his hands gripping his oversized hand-me-down jeans. "I just told the truth."

Dudley snarled, lifting his hand to curl it into a fist. Harry flinched backward just as Ms. Plumridge re-entered the room.

"Dudley!" She scolded, hurrying forward. "What is going on?"

"Nothin’." Dudley snapped, grabbing another biscuit.

Ms. Plumridge’s eyebrows arched and Dudley had the feeling that she hadn’t bought that lie. Still, she didn’t call him out. 

Instead, she sat in a small armchair opposite the couch and looked at them. "Are you guys doing okay?" 

Dudley didn't say anything. Neither did Harry. Dudley wanted to punch that look off of his cousin's face. They wouldn't be here for long, he had to go home at some point. 

"I understand that this might seem really scary and different, guys. But I'm really happy that you'll both be staying with me for a while."

Dudley felt something cold grip at his insides. _ What? _

"I've got a bedroom set up for both of you,” Ms. Plumridge continued, smiling at them, “with beds and dressers and lots of nice things. I've put your suitcases in your rooms. Harry, you’re in the one on the right. Dudley, you’re in the one on the left."

Dudley felt anger or fear or sick rising in his stomach. He felt like he was going to be sick again, this time not on purpose.

"I'll be working with the Child Protection Services and the MoM to adopt you both, in time."

Dudley didn't understand. What did she mean, adopt?

"I know it'll take a while to settle in and everything, but I'll do my best to be here for both of you."

Dudley didn't know where this was going. What did she mean? Why couldn't he go home? Before he knew it, the feelings welling up inside of him burst forth in a huge, screaming fit. He kicked and flailed his arms, real tears flying from his eyes as he screamed himself hoarse. 

Ms. Plumridge let him scream for a moment or two, but then she was kneeling in front of him and had her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to stop flailing his arms. He screamed in her face. She actually raised her voice at him.

"That's enough, Dudley!"

Dudley stopped screaming to get a breath to keep screaming but stopped at the look in her eyes.

"That's enough of that, Dudley. You don't want to make yourself sick, do you?"

Actually, he did. Very much so. But she was pressing his arms down and looking him in the eyes. He didn't feel like he dared.

"That's better," she said with a small smile. "Dudley, the first rule in our home is the same as in our classroom. You need to use your words and your inside voice." 

Dudley swallowed and let off a loud hiccup. Ms. Plumridge released him. She handed him a glass of lemonade. He gulped it down, but that made his hiccups worse. He thought he heard Harry chuckle, but knew that Harry didn't dare laugh at him. Not if he wanted a punch.

"What's going on?" Dudley demanded through his hiccups, glaring at Ms. Plumridge. "I want to go home!"

Ms. Plumridge's smile faltered. "Dudley, this is your home right now," she said, trying to have him meet her eyes. "I'm your guardian."

"But I want to go home!" Dudley screamed. It wouldn't be long. His tantrums always worked.

=====

Dudley lay on his new bed. The entire summer had gone by and he still wasn't home. He had slowly stopped throwing tantrums every day. They just weren't working. Ms. Plumridge always stopped him and made him use his inside voice. He glanced at his window and saw that the sun was starting to go down. He kept lying on his bed. 

Lately, he hadn't felt like doing anything. Not playing computer games, or going to the park. He didn’t even feel like eating. Ms. Plumridge kept trying to tempt him with treats like chicken and ham pie, or treacle tarts, but he just threw everything away and said it wasn't like his Mother's. He wanted his Mother’s cooking. Ms. Plumridge always looked sad when he threw his food in the trash.

_ Good. _

He heard Ms. Plumridge call that dinner was ready. Dudley heard Harry jump up and run down the hall. 

He grumpily turned over in his bed. A few minutes later, he heard Ms. Plumridge’s footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Dudley?" Ms. Plumridge called gently, knocking on his bedroom door. "Aren't you hungry?"

He ignored her, pretending to be asleep. She sighed and went back down the hall.

Dudley rolled over and sat up, reaching underneath his bed. He pulled a backpack out with his favorite things stuffed inside of it and put it on his back. He walked over and after climbing onto his desk, opened his window. He was going home. He paused, hiking up his too-big pants. He wanted his Mother to take him shopping. None of his clothes fit anymore.

He jumped down into the side yard, somehow managing to fall on his bottom. He scrambled upright, trying his hardest not to make a sound. There was just enough light to see by. He snuck out of the side yard along the hedges, tiptoeing his way to the sidewalk.

Just as he set his foot onto the sidewalk, the front door opened.

"Dudley!" Ms. Plumridge called after him, starting to hurry across the yard to him. 

He felt the briefest inclination to run. But that didn't last long. He didn't like running, he never lasted long and it wasn’t fun. He just sat down on the cooling concrete and started to cry again. 

Ms. Plumridge quickly caught up. “Is everything okay, Dudley?” she asked as she tried to pull him into a hug. He shoved her away and ran back to the house. 

He wanted to go _ home _.

=====

Dudley sat in the corner, glowering at the brightly colored living and dining rooms that were festooned in balloons and streamers. The house was filled with people - a lot of them were teachers from the school, as well as an old couple who were Ms. Plumridge's parents, and a strange little man in a violet top hat. 

They were here for the adoption/birthday party.

Ms. Plumridge had come home a few days ago, beaming from ear to ear. "The paperwork has been signed and approved!" she shared with them. "I've officially adopted you!"

Harry had shouted happily and tackle-hugged Ms. Plumridge while Dudley just sat in his seat. 

_ Why hadn't his parents stopped the papers? Why hadn't they stepped in to say that he was theirs? Why weren't they coming for him? _

While Harry and Ms. Plumridge had celebrated and planned the party, Dudley felt sick and hollow.

_ Where were his parents? Didn’t they want him anymore? _

"Come on, Dudley!" Harry shouted happily, coming over to him. Dudley glared. He thought Harry looked stupid with a party hat on his head. "Let's blow out the candles!"

"Blow 'em out yourself," Dudley snapped sourly. "And you look stupid."

Harry's smile fell, but he shrugged and turned away, running back to Ms. Plumridge who picked him up and stood him on a dining room chair. 

A few people looked towards Dudley and gestured for him to join Harry at the table. 

He glared at them and wedged himself more firmly into his seat. Ms. Plumridge shook her head at them and said something quietly. They nodded and sighed. Dudley huffed to himself. He didn't want to join them. 

He wanted his Mother's birthday cake made just for him and his mountain of presents. He wanted his old room back, he wanted his cousin back under the stairs. He hated it here. He _ hated _ it.

He glared as he watched Harry take a big breath and blow out the candles on one of the cakes on the dining room table. He let the other candles simply burn themselves down until they were puddles of wax on top of the frosting.

=====

Dudley had run away again.

This time, he had run away while he was at school. Ms. Plumridge couldn't stop him while she was teaching her class. He had a new teacher this year, and she didn’t pay as much attention to him as Ms. Plumridge did. He just said that he had to go to the loo and took the hall pass with him. He had walked past the loo, past the front doors and kept walking. He had started running once he was past the front gate. He had run for a block or two, just to put a lot of room between him and the school. Once he was fairly sure that no-one was following him, he had slowed to a walk. He had even stopped in a convenience store and gotten himself a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar.

He walked through the town, trying to follow the path that he thought that his old school bus had taken, trying to retrace the path to his old house - Number 4, Privet Drive. He didn't want to admit it, but he was horribly lost. He didn't recognize anything. And when he asked a dog walker if she knew where Privet Drive was, she shook her head. So he kept wandering in the direction that he thought was the right way. He'd find it eventually. 

It was nearing dusk when he finally spotted a landmark that he recognized. The park. From there, it was a simple matter of taking the sidewalk and he'd be home in no-time.

He felt his heart lift for the first time in months when he saw his house. 

It was lit up like Bonfire Night, bright gold and red from the setting sun. He thought it looked beautiful. He ran up the less than neat walkway and hammered his chubby little fists on the front door. He fully expected his Mother to throw open the door, spot him and start crying with joy. He'd go in, she'd have dinner ready and his Father would pat him on the head and everything would be as it was before. 

No answer?

He knocked again. 

Still no answer. 

With a sickening feeling, his heart started sinking. He walked over to the front window, as if in a daze, and looked in. It was dark. He could barely make out the shapes of the furniture sitting there. There were no lights anywhere in the house. Then, he spotted it.

"_ Rooms for Rent, Inquire at - _" read the small white sign in the corner of the window.

It hit him like a lightning bolt. 

His Mother wasn't home. 

His Father wasn't home. 

This...wasn't his home...anymore. 

He stumbled away from the house, reeling from the shock. He sat down on the sidewalk and screwed up his face. But the tears and the screams wouldn't come. What once came so easily was absent now. He kicked his feet, pretending for a moment that he was crying, then stopping when nothing came out again. He slowly stood up, looked back at his house which was now dark and dismal, then turned away and started to trudge up the street.

He didn't know how long he wandered about in the dark, but suddenly there was a police car there and the policeman was stopping him, kneeling in front of him, asking him if he was okay. 

Dudley didn't know. 

He was put in the front seat of the police car and heard the policeman call into his station that he had found "the missing boy". Dudley didn't know that he was missing. 

The policeman drove him back to Ms. Plumridge's house. She came running up from the house, in jeans and a pink nightshirt. She fell to her knees in front of Dudley and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Dudley, oh Dudley, I've been so worried!" She suddenly pulled back, gripped his shoulders and glared at him. He was startled by the fierceness of the glare. "Don't you ever do that again, young man! You are grounded. For a month. Maybe more!" Then her eyes welled up again and she pulled him back into a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

The policeman chuckled and helped Ms. Plumridge to her feet. "Everything's alright ma'am. Take him inside now, I think the lad's peckish." Dudley's stomach chose that moment to growl, causing Ms. Plumridge to laugh as she wiped her eyes.

"Let’s go, Dudley. I've kept your dinner warm."

She was as good as her word; the meatballs and onion sauce over mashed potatoes were warm from the oven. She even let him eat in the living room, on the couch, while watching the telly. Harry was nowhere to be seen. 

She sat next to him on the couch, her hands gripping a mug of coffee with some sort of cream that she had said was for grown-ups stirred in. He ate in silence. She sipped her coffee, watching the telly with him. 

He burst into tears.

"Dudley, what's wrong?" she asked, immediately putting down her cup and wrapping an arm about him.

"W-where's my MUM?!" Dudley wailed, burying his fists into his eyes to try to stop the flow. "Where's m-my DAD? W-Why weren't they t-THERE?!"

Ms. Plumridge hurried and got tissues from the kitchen and as she sat there, dabbing at his eyes and nose, she slowly explained things that Dudley didn't quite grasp. But he learned things. He learned what phrases such as "_ emotional and mental abuse _" meant and why his parents weren't there. 

Vernon Dursley had been arrested the day that the government officials had pulled Dudley and Harry from the house. As far as Ms. Plumridge knew, he would be in jail for a very long time.

"S-So, it's all H-Harry's fault!" Dudley snuffled. _ He knew it! _ Ms. Plumridge took him firmly by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. He knew by now that he had to listen to what she had to say when she did this.

"No, Dudley. It is not Harry's fault." As Dudley opened his mouth to protest, Ms. Plumridge went on, "Harry did not ask for nor did he deserve the way that your Mother and Father treated him. They were abusing him, Dudley. And they were abusing you." Dudley's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "You both had to be pulled from there. It was deemed by two organizations to be a toxic environment, unsuitable for you two." Dudley's mouth closed. He had stopped crying.

"So...I'll never see my mum or dad again?"

"Not necessarily," she said gently, letting him relax against the couch. "There are ways that your mother can set up a visitation schedule with the courts in a few years. She just can't right now. Do you understand?"

No, Dudley didn't understand. But he pretended that he did and nodded. "Okay, Ms. Plumridge."

"Call me Miranda," she said with a smile. Dudley nodded again and returned to watching the telly in silence. Miranda let him lean against her, her arm still wrapped about his shoulders. He slowly fell asleep as the telly talked about the strange animals in the rainforests in Brazil.

=====

It was getting close to their third year of primary school. 

Miranda took both Dudley and Harry shopping for new clothes. Dudley's were still too big for him and Harry's were too small. They both got new uniform trousers and shirts with their blazers bought ahead of the cold months. Miranda also treated them to new jeans and shirts to wear at home. Dudley picked out t-shirts with telly superheroes or cartoons emblazoned on them. Harry picked out mostly plain shirts, but also got one that had owls all over it. Dudley thought it looked stupid, but he told his cousin that the birds were cool. 

Dudley was determined to turn over a new leaf this year. Start all over. His marks last year had been atrocious and Miranda had taken to tutoring him in her classroom after hours. Dudley didn't want to be the big dummy everyone thought he was. He also… he didn't want to be a bully anymore. His Dad had been a bully...and now he was in jail. Dudley didn't want that to happen to him.

So, when school started, Dudley sat in the middle of the class. He paid attention to what the teacher was teaching and even took notes. He asked questions when something didn't make sense. He didn't get the best marks in the class, but at least he wasn't at the bottom anymore. 

Harry still attracted trouble. Pierce had picked up where Dudley left off. Dudley’s old gang, lead by his old friend, bullied Harry for anything. For looking different, for having glasses, for being smarter than them, for anything that they could think of. 

Dudley watched them and felt just sick. _ Had he been like that? _

Dudley got himself new friends. They hung out at the playground and did things like play football or charades. He liked them a lot. It was a surprise to him that more and more kids wanted to join in the games or hang out with him. His circle of friends grew and grew. They really take his suggestions into deep consideration and a lot of them came to him for advice. If he said something was stupid, it was stupid. If he said something was cool, it was cool. He found himself with birthday parties to attend almost every other week and his friends were constantly inviting him to come to do something with them.

He liked this feeling of popularity. It suited him.

=====

It wasn't until the summer after their fourth year that Dudley began to notice funny little things happening. 

They weren't big things, otherwise, he probably would have noticed them sooner. Funny little things, like snakes that always appeared in the garden when Harry was around. And the fact that Harry's hair was always thick and spiky and flopping into his eyes, even after a trip to the barbers. The biggest thing, though, was Dudley's glass of water.

Dudley had taken to getting a glass of water and keeping it in his room while he did his homework at his desk. Sometimes, he left it just out of reach by accident, but it would suddenly be just within reach when he noticed it next. He simply thought he wasn't remembering where he left it and had always had it really close. But, one day, he left it on the edge of his desk before he started his homework. A few math problems in and it was right back in reach. He hadn't seen it move. He hadn't grabbed it. But there it was. Right where he could reach it.

He picked up the glass of water and carefully took it over to the dresser and placed it right on the top. "There." he said to himself. "Let's see you move now." He turned and went back to his desk. He hadn't even started his math problems when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and his glass of water was sitting there, the water still quivering. He let out a loud yelp and when Miranda came running, said that he had spotted a bug. He had gotten it though. She smiled.

"Dinner will be ready soon, okay? And make sure you clean up the bug."

Dudley nodded. He could already smell the sausages. Miranda closed his door and he looked back at the glass of water. _ It’s official _ . _ Ghosts _.

He didn't leave his glass of water out of arm's reach again.

=====

Dudley felt himself getting more and more excited as his eleventh birthday approached. 

Miranda had been hinting heavily at a joint surprise this year. Because his and Harry's birthdays were so close together, only five weeks apart, Miranda loved to throw them a joint birthday party. One year, it had been space themed with a planet craft (_ Dudley still had his Saturn somewhere in his closet _), one year it had been a large scavenger hunt across the neighborhood, last year it had been a trip to the movies with two of their friends. A few years, though, it had been as simple as two cakes and an afternoon of games in the back garden. Dudley understood that Miranda didn't have a lot of money, but she really tried to make it special for them. 

Dudley was grateful for that.

June 23rd was relatively quiet. He had his usual birthday breakfast of waffles, bacon and fried tomatoes. He opened his presents at a small party with the family that night. Miranda's parents had gotten him that remote control toy truck he'd been wanting for weeks. He and Harry spent the evening playing with it on the sidewalk. Harry built up ramps and obstacles while Dudley steered. He even let Harry have a go with it. 

Late that night, however, he lay awake, looking at the moon through the slats in his blinds. He wondered why he still hadn't gotten a birthday card from his Mother. She'd always made sure to send it before his birthday and it always had a small cash gift that he would add to his piggy bank. But it was late this year.

He couldn't help feeling disappointed.

About the midway point between his and Harry’s birthdays, Miranda announced one day that she'd be taking them on their joint birthday trip the next day. He and Harry had both shouted for the Zoo at the same time, so they were going to the Zoo the next day. The cheering had made Miranda laugh. 

Dudley and Harry LOVED the Zoo. Dudley's favorite animals were the reptiles, and Harry loved the lions and tigers. 

The next day dawned bright and clear. The late summer weather was out in full force by the time they got to the Zoo and it was HOT. After they got their tickets and entered, Dudley convinced Miranda to let them stop at the ice-cream cart. He bought himself a chocolate ice-cream from his allowance money, and Harry got a lemon ice pop with his allowance money. They ate their ice-creams as they wandered and spent a fantastic morning looking at the monkeys and exotic birds, reciting their scientific classification names as far back as they could go. 

Dudley could do species, genus and sometimes family.

Around lunch time, Miranda treated them to a sit-down lunch at one of the restaurants and he and Harry both picked something new to try. What fun was eating out if you just ate the same thing all the time? They even were able to split a knickerbocker glory and they made Miranda laugh at their antics with whipped cream.

After lunch, it was time for the reptile house. It was their tradition to go after lunch and spend an hour or so in the cool shade of the reptile house. When they entered, he and Harry quickly found their favorite, the huge boa constrictor.

"Boa," they recited together, "boinae, boidae."

"Very good, boys," Miranda smiled. "You'll be regular zoologists at this rate."

They beamed at her compliment. Dudley and Harry watched the boa for a little bit, but because it was the middle of the day, the boa wasn't very active. 

Dudley wandered away and started looking at other species. He was watching a funny green iguana climb a branch in its enclosure when the people close to the snakes started screaming and running for the exit. 

Dudley looked towards the commotion and wondered what was wrong with the picture that he was seeing. Then it hit him. 

His cousin was in the boa constrictor's enclosure. 

Both the glass and snake were _ gone _.

Miranda made a cup of strong tea for the Head Zookeeper, who sat in his office, trembling. "Where did the glass go?" he kept saying, gripping his cup. Dudley didn't know how she did it, but she managed to talk them out of that situation, and they were on their way home an hour later. 

The car ride was very quiet.

"Is the boa going to be okay?" Dudley eventually asked. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, it'll be fine."

"I wonder where it was headed?" Dudley wondered, looking out at the passing world as they drove down the road towards their house.

"She was going to Brazil," Harry said with a smile. "She'd never been there before."

Dead silence filled the car. Miranda pulled a little too quickly into their driveway and as she threw the car into _ park _, she and Dudley were staring at Harry.

"How do you know that?" Miranda asked quietly.

Harry shrugged. "We had a conversation. She likes talking to me. We always talk when I visit."

Dudley felt his jaw drop a little. He stared at his cousin, crazy thoughts of insanity or overactive imagination racing through his mind. Was Harry dangerous? Was he okay? He just couldn't find anything to say.

"Well, you certainly have an active imagination, Harry!" Miranda laughed. "I almost believed you for a second!" She continued laughing. 

Eventually, Dudley started to chuckle too and then Harry joined in. They all sat there in the car, locked in the hysterical laughter that comes from an adventure like that. Dudley reached over and gave Harry a playful punch on the shoulder. Harry pretended to fall over, dramatically twitching. Dudley clutched his sides, tears leaking from his eyes, laughter just filling the car. 

"Com'n, boys." Miranda said, grinning back at them. "We have an afternoon ahead of us! Who wants to play some computer games?!"

"I do!" Dudley and Harry chorused together, leaping from the car and racing each other up to the front door. They threw open the door to find two envelopes on the welcome mat.

"Mail!" Harry shouted, grabbing up the two envelopes. Dudley pulled at his arm, wanting to see who they were addressed to. He was still hoping that his Mother's card would come. His heart fell slightly when he saw that one was addressed to "_ Mr. H. Potter...The Second Bedroom...Number 7 Primrose Way...Little Whinging, Surrey _" in glimmering green ink. He sighed.

"That's a weird way to write an address." he muttered, pushing past Harry a bit, moving into the entry hall.

"Hey, wait a second!" Harry said, looking at the second envelope. "D, this is for you." He held it out. Dudley quickly turned around and grabbed the envelope. 

The first thing he noticed, with a sick feeling, it wasn't his mother's writing. It was the same glimmering green that was on Harry's envelope. He looked quizzically at the address. It was addressed to "_ Mr. D. Dursley...The First Bedroom...Number 7 Primrose Way, Little Whinging, Surrey. _"

"I wonder who's writing to us," he murmured, turning the letter over and over in his hands.

"I was wondering when those would come." Miranda said from behind them. They both turned and looked at her. Miranda stood there, smiling mysteriously. "I think we'd better go into the living room, boys. We're going to be having a long talk."


	2. The Chapter Where Dudley Learns a Thing or Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wotcher and hello!
> 
> First of all, thank you to everyone who left kudos, bookmarked, and commented on this story so far. Your support means a great deal to me and I only hope that you continue to find enjoyment in this fanfiction.
> 
> Second of all, this chapter is now officially updated and matches the chapter set up on fanfiction.net. If you want to go and check it out on there, my username is frodoschick.
> 
> Thank you so much for checking this story out. I've hidden a reference or two throughout. Leave a comment if you've found it, but don't give away where it is!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy Dudley's story! Read on!

Miranda bustled them into the living room, setting them down on the couch. "You boys stay here," she said with a large smile. "I'm going to go and get a surprise." She swept off to the kitchen, positively beaming. Harry and Dudley looked at each other.

"Who do you think it is?" Harry whispered, turning his envelope in his hands. "No-one's ever really written to me."

"But who'd be writing to the both of us?" Dudley wondered, looking at the wax seal on the back of the envelope. It looked like a crest of arms. Dudley recognized that it was similar to the styles he had seen on field trips in very old manor houses or castles. It looked like...a lion, a big bird, a weird looking furry thing and a snake all twisting around a large letter **H**. He racked his brain, trying to remember if he had seen this crest before. It didn't look like any of the royal families that he had studied in history class.

They heard the oven door open and close. Miranda came out three glasses on a tray and a bottle of Coke. She opened the bottle and poured them all a glass of the fizzy soda.

"Cheers!" Miranda beamed, handing out the glasses to Dudley and Harry.

"What are we celebrating?" Dudley asked, sipping on the sweet soda. Soda was rare in their house; he didn’t even know where Miranda had been hiding this bottle. He was sure he would’ve found it by now. 

Miranda sat down with her own cup and grinned. "I think you'd better open those letters,” she said, gesturing for them to get on with it.

Dudley and Harry looked at each other and tore into their envelopes. Thick sheets of parchment were pulled out. The glittering green ink continued on the parchment and Dudley shook his head as he slowly read aloud -

"Dear Mr. Dursley, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

He had to re-read that sentence three times. _ Witchcraft and Wizardry? Hogwarts? What the bloody hell...? _ He looked back up at Miranda and tilted his head. "What the bloody hell?" She just smiled at him. He looked over at Harry who was staring at the parchment as if it held all of life's answers. Harry slowly looked up at Miranda and said quietly,

"What?"

Miranda set her cup down and, if it were possible, smiled even more broadly. "You, my dears, are wizards." Dudley and Harry sat there, staring at her. "There's a secret community in this world," she went on, "of those who can use magic. They are called witches and wizards, and they make up the wizarding community. This letter," she said, gesturing to the parchment in their hands, “is telling you that you are ready to join that world.”

"Magic?" Dudley asked.

"Wizards?" Harry wondered.

They both looked at their parchment letters and back up at Miranda. "What?"

"You boys come from a long line of witches and wizards," Miranda continued to explain. "Mostly from the Potters’ side of the family. Harry, your mother and father were a witch and wizard."

"But - what about my mum?" Dudley asked, looking down at his letter again.

Miranda shook her head. "I’m sorry, Dudley, but it's not likely that there was any magical blood in your mother. Your magic comes from your Aunt Lily, passed down through your Evans blood."

"What about you?" Harry blurted out. "How do _ you _ know about witches and wizards?"

Miranda laughed delightedly. "My whole family are witches and wizards!" Dudley and Harry’s jaws fell open at the exact same moment. Miranda grinned at them. "Unfortunately, I am what's known as a Squib. No magic whatsoever. Grams and Gramps are really good at passing for Muggles since I chose to pass as a Muggle myself.” She snickered as if at a joke. “Although cousin Diggle really hasn't grasped the concept well."

"Muggles?" Dudley asked, his brow furrowing. "What are Muggles?"

"Muggles are what the wizarding community call those who do not have magic. Muggles is the name for non-magical people. For instance, most of the people at school are Muggles, although some of the children may be magical, and not know it yet."

Harry and Dudley were quiet for a few minutes, which was very unusual. Harry looked up at Miranda.

"If my parents were a witch and a wizard… Miranda, why did they die?"

Dudley was surprised to see Miranda's face fall. She sighed heavily. 

"Look at me, both of you." Dudley bit at his lip; Miranda's tone was deadly serious. He could count on one hand how many times he'd heard that deadly quiet from her. When she was satisfied with their attention, she told them a terrible story. 

"Listen closely. I will let you ask questions after I'm done, not before." Dudley and Harry nodded. "Not all witches and wizards are good." Dudley and Harry exchanged a look. "More than eleven years ago, before you two were born, there was a wizard who went as bad as bad could go. He became what is known as a Dark wizard. This wizard’s name was Voldemort. Everyone called, and still calls him, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who.”

Dudley realized that he was holding his breath and he heard Harry take a shuddering breath. Dudley reached over and gripped Harry’s shoulder reassuringly. 

Miranda continued the terrible tale. “Voldemort was a terribly Dark wizard. Dedalus told me that Voldemort wanted to take over. He and his followers wanted to reshape the world as they saw fit and didn’t care how they achieved it. It became a war, boys. The wizarding community was under siege. Voldemort’s rise to power has been called the Dark Days. It was truly a horrible time for everyone in the wizarding community. No-one dared to trust anyone, you didn't know who were his Followers and who wasn't. He got rid of whomever he wanted, took what he wanted and the entire wizarding world was scared of him. Luckily, there were those who fought against him and his followers. Your parents," she said pointedly to Harry, "were some of the ones who fought."

Harry opened his mouth, but Miranda held up her finger. Dudley knew better than to try to interrupt. Miranda was in her teacher-mode.

Miranda's eyes grew very sad. She took a steadying breath before she continued. "Now, nobody knows what happened that Halloween night ten years ago, Harry. From the story I've been told by Dedalus, on Halloween night, when you were only a baby..." She struggled to get the words out. "H-he went to your house and -" She swallowed hard. "He murdered your parents, Harry."

Harry and Dudley sat on the couch, stunned. Thousands of questions and thoughts buzzed through Dudley's mind but one thought stood out above all. _ My parents must've known...and they still treated Harry like that. Harry's parents had been murdered by the most powerful Dark wizard in the world and they still... _ They looked back at Miranda as she started speaking again.

"It’s theorized that’s when Voldemort turned his wand on you, Harry."

Dudley felt his jaw drop at the same time that he saw Harry's drop. _ Voldemort tried to kill Harry? Why? _

"Nobody quite knows why," Miranda said with a small shake of her head. Dudley swore that sometimes she could read minds. "Perhaps he wanted to kill the entire Potter bloodline. Maybe he just liked killing. Nobody knows for sure. There is no debate, however, about the aftermath of his poor decision."

Harry pointed wordlessly at the scar on his forehead. That odd lightning-bolt shaped scar that had been with Harry for as long as Dudley could remember.

"Yes, Harry. That's what happened when Voldemort's curse didn't work. Something happened in that house that stopped him, and Voldemort vanished from the face of the Earth. Some say that he died. My family are some of those who don’t think that. They believe that Voldemort’s out there still, waiting for the time where he can rise again.”

“So…”

“So, Harry,” Miranda said with a wry smile, “you are famous in the wizarding world. You are known as The Boy Who Lived. No-one survived Voldemort’s attacks, and he killed some of the best witches and wizards. Except you. You were just a baby, and you lived. There was actually talk of making Halloween '_ Harry Potter Day _'."

Harry's hand shot into the air and quivered there, clearly desperate to ask his questions. Miranda held up a finger and they heard the beeping of the timer in the kitchen.

"One moment, Harry."

They hadn't even noticed the smell of melting cheese and tomato sauce. Miranda got up and they followed her into the kitchen. With a few deft movements, Miranda had a pepperoni pizza out and had it cut into perfect triangles. 

Dudley thought it was a bit early for dinner, but he wasn’t complaining. 

She handed out two slices per boy, the usual, with carrots and tomato slices. They sat around the dining room table and quietly dug into the pizza. Dudley chewed on the glory that was tomato sauce, spicy pepperoni, and creamy cheese, lost in his own thoughts. 

Harry bounced in his seat and ate a little too quickly. He started to hiccup.

"Miranda, what about-?" Harry started but his words dissolved into hiccups. Dudley chuckled, twirling stringy mozzarella cheese about his index finger before sucking it off. He loved pizza.

Miranda laughed softly. "There's so much mystery surrounding everything that happened that night, boys. But you were taken from your ruined house, Harry, and brought to the last family that you had on this Earth."

"My Mum and Dad," Dudley nodded, taking a bite from his crust. "And me." He added as an afterthought as he chewed. Miranda nodded.

"That's one important reason why I insisted that you both keep your names," Miranda explained, handing one of each of her crusts to the boys. "Dursley and Potter mean too much to be forgotten."

Silence fell over the kitchen and Harry seemed to have forgotten his questions. Dudley hadn't forgotten his. _ My parents had to have known. They knew. And they still... _ He felt himself get nauseated. "I-I'm sorry..." he whispered.

Harry and Miranda looked at him. "What do you mean, dear?" Miranda asked.

Dudley swallowed hard. "They weren't fair to you, Harry." He managed, before stuffing his remaining crust into his mouth and chewing hard. Miranda's eyes teared up. Harry looked a little confused until it dawned on him. It happened quickly and quietly, but Miranda gathered them both into her arms and hugged them tightly. They hugged her back and when she let them go, they went back to their plates, gathered them and took them to the sink. It was an unspoken moment that Dudley would always treasure.

After they finished helping Miranda with the dishes, they hurried back to the living room and grabbed their letters again.

Dudley re-read that first line. _ Dear Mr. Dursley, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... _ They must have made a mistake with him. There was no way that he could be a wizard. Harry, yeah. Harry had the ancient bloodline and the story and everything. And from what Miranda was saying, Harry was famous in the wizarding world.

"Miranda. I think they made a mistake with me," Dudley said, holding out his letter for her. "I don't think I can be a wizard."

Miranda smiled at him and didn't take the letter. "I put your name down for Hogwarts when I saw the signs, Dudley. Your magic manifests in object movement. Dedalus's manifested the same way, he could make a picture frame fly across the room before he learned to control it."

"So...Hogwarts helps you learn magic," he said, looking back down at his letter. He felt a small bit of hope rise in him. He was magical, just like Harry. "Wait a minute..."

"Why didn't we know any of this sooner?" Harry asked, frowning. "If we're wizards, how come we didn't know before this?!"

Miranda gave a small sigh, but her face didn't take on the seriousness that it had before she had told them about Harry's parents. "Quite simply, I wanted you to grow up as Muggles. What would have been the point of telling you before the signs manifested and the letters arrived? What if I was wrong? Would I be responsible for getting your hopes up, only to never have your letter come?" She blinked and Dudley could've sworn that he spotted something terribly sad and painful in Miranda's eyes that was banished with another blink. "No, I couldn't. So I brought you boys up as Muggles. That way, if it didn't happen..."

"We could keep going, without knowing what could have been," Harry said, looking down at his letter. "I get it." Dudley nodded. He understood too. He had a feeling that if he hadn't been adopted by Miranda, his powers never would have manifested.

"I know you boys want to keep talking," Miranda said softly with a smile. "But it is getting close to six..."

“What happens at six?” Harry asked, looking at the clock above the mantle. Dudley spared a glance at the clock as well.

“Well, that’s a surprise,” Miranda said with a wink, “but we have to get in the car to go there!”

Harry and Dudley grinned at each other, and for a few hours, the letters were forgotten on the living room coffee table. They played “Twenty Questions” in the car, but they still hadn’t guessed the surprise when Miranda pulled into the parking lot of a vintage arcade filled with pinball and racing machines. Miranda handed them each a small bag of coins with the playful warning to not spend it all in one place.

Harry was immediately off like a shot, but Dudley lingered behind. “Miranda, what’s going on?” he asked quietly, the sounds of the arcade almost drowning him out.

“Why do you ask, Dudley?” Miranda’s tone wasn’t accusatory or anything, but Dudley still chose his words carefully. He still had to choose his words carefully, especially when he was emotionally keyed up. He wasn’t the dumb lummox from his early primary school years, but he still had to be intentional. Miranda was always patient with him.

“Well,” he started, his feet shuffling in their trainers, “it seems like, maybe, a little too much?”

Miranda nodded. “I see,” she said with a smile. “It feels like I’m overindulging you.”

“I guess,” Dudley conceded. “First, the Zoo, which was planned. But then these letters show up, and there’s Coke, and pizza, and a trip to the arcade, and I don’t know. It feels like a little much all at once?”

Miranda wrapped an arm about him and hugged. He copied her and hugged her back.

“Not to worry, Dudley,” she reassured him, “everything but the Coke was planned for today’s birthday surprises for you boys. I had a feeling that your letters would be coming any day, so I hid the Coke bottle where I usually hide the sparkling cider for Christmas.”

Dudley grinned up at her. “Thanks, Miranda.” 

“Now, get going,” she scolded with a grin, “or Harry will have to wait around while you empty your bag.”

Dudley laughed and raced off to find his cousin. He pulled Harry into several games of air hockey before they jumped into a racing game. With two enthusiastic boys, it wasn’t long before their pouches were empty. They thanked the arcade proprietor, an older man with a mustache and comb-over who was called Litwak, before piling back into the car. 

They got back home around nine and Miranda allowed them to watch a movie on the telly. It was properly late when the movie was finished and Dudley wasn’t the only one yawning.

“Alright, boys, it’s bedtime,” Miranda said as she turned off the telly. “It may be summer and you may have your letters, but even young wizards need their sleep.”

Dudley wasn’t sure if he liked being called a “wizard” yet. He didn’t feel like one. He mostly felt like a properly tired eleven-year-old boy who really should have been in bed an hour ago.

Dudley and Harry pushed themselves off of the couch and waited until Miranda had gotten up from her armchair before swarming her. They hugged her tightly, each thanking her loudly for such a wonderful day.

“-thank you for the trip to the Zoo-”

“-and the pizza-”

“-and the Coke-”

“-and the arcade, that was so much fun-”

“Thank you, Miranda!” they finished together, both grinning up at a laughing Miranda.

"You’re welcome, boys," she said, hugging them tightly. "Don't forget to brush your teeth.”

“Do we ever?” Harry teased, laughing as Miranda rumpled his already messy hair. “Miranda, can we talk about the wizarding stuff more in the morning?”

“Of course," she promised, dropping a kiss onto the top of each of their heads. “Now, off to bed!”

“Goodnight, Miranda!” Dudley said, giving her another squeeze before letting go. He was already heading towards the hall when he heard Harry say something quietly. If he didn’t know his cousin, he’d say that Harry had been...crying. He glanced back to see Miranda kneeling down to hug Harry. Harry's face was hidden in Miranda’s shoulders and Dudley knew he shouldn’t really be here.

He snatched his letter from the coffee table and hurried down the hall to his room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

He headed for his desk. He turned on the light and set the letter down on the wooden surface. The glittering green ink still glistened in the light. How did it always look wet? He dragged a finger across the writing, but it didn’t smear at all.

_ Dear Mr. Dursley... _

He drew the blinds and looked out of the window. The moon was almost full, flooding the side yard with silvery light. 

He wondered why everything looked the same. He felt like it should, at least, _ look _ different. He certainly didn’t feel different.

He looked back down at the letter. 

Maybe nothing was different now, but it would be. _ Where even _ _ was _ _ Hogwarts? _

He kept looking over the letter until he heard Harry’s footsteps come down the hall and enter his own room, Miranda’s footsteps heading to her room at the other end of the hall. He pushed himself away from the desk and the letter. It was okay to get ready for bed now.

It didn't take him long to pull on pajamas, and he even managed to brush his teeth before Harry got into the bathroom. Dudley climbed into bed, reaching down to grab one of his comics that he had shoved between the mattress and bed frame. He’d barely opened it when his door creaked open and Harry snuck into his room.

"What you think you’re doing?" Dudley hissed, sitting up. "We're _ supposed _to be going to bed."

"I know, I know," Harry said, grinning in the moonlight, plopping on Dudley’s bed. "I just, I just can't believe it! Can you?"

Dudley knew exactly what he was talking about. "No," he said honestly, looking over at the letter, still glistening with green on his desk. "We’re really wizards? It doesn’t feel real."

"What’d you expect us to be, aardvarks?" Harry said with a bigger grin, sitting on the end of Dudley's bed. "I had a feeling, though, that we weren’t, you know, _ normal _."

Dudley rolled his eyes. "Come off it,” he groused, giving Harry a light push. “You didn’t even know about magic until Miranda told us.” 

“Dud, D. Normal people don’t have conversations with snakes,” Harry said, raising his eyebrows. The lightning scar on his forehead seemed to flash in the gathering dark. “Normal people don’t make objects come to them.”

“But do you feel any different?” Dudley asked, setting his comic book to the side. “I know I don’t.”

Harry paused and considered it. “I dunno, don’t think so. Why?”

“I dunno,” Dudley shrugged, “it just feels too normal, don’t it? Shouldn’t something feel different? Anything?”

“Well, maybe,” Harry considered, “but I haven’t turned eleven yet, have I?”

“That’s true,” Dudley nodded. “Maybe you’ll just explode, yeah?”

Harry gave him a shove as Dudley laughed. 

“Maybe I’ll just make you explode!”

“Nah, you’d miss me too much,” Dudley laughed. He and Harry had a bit of a shoving contest until Dudley shoved him off the bed and Harry couldn’t climb back up because he was laughing too hard.

“Shhh!” Dudley shushed, glancing at the door. Harry managed to stop laughing, but he was still chuckling as he jumped up and grabbed Dudley’s letter.

“Oi!”

Harry plopped back down on Dudley’s bed and handed Dudley his letter. “You seen the requirements list yet?”

“No,” Dudley admitted, shaking open the letter and grabbing a longer sheet of parchment that had been folded up behind the main letter. He shook it open and read the first few items aloud. "First-year students will require: 1. Three sets of plain work robes (black), 2. One pointed (black) hat for day wear, 3. One set of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar). Dragonhide? Robes?" Dudley furrowed his brow as something occurred to him. "Dragons can't be real, can they?"

"Got to be,. Especially if something made from dragonhide is on the list," Harry said, reaching over and grabbing the list, looking it over too. "I wonder if we'll see one."

Dudley shook his head. "Doubt it," he reasoned. "They'd have to be really dangerous, at least by the accounts of all the old stories. You know, where they guard treasure and breath fire and fly."

"Look at these books," Harry chuckled, looking down the book list. "_ A History of Magic, Magical Theory, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi... _weird, right?"

Dudley nodded. There were crazy awesome sounding books there. However, he was most excited by the wand listed in the equipment list. He couldn't help it - he felt a fluttering thrill at the thought of owning a wand. Just like those old fairy tale books. "Parents are reminded that first-years are not allowed their own broomsticks. What's that about?"

Harry shrugged. "Something we don't know about yet, I'd bet."

"Oh, you mean like everything else?" Dudley grinned. "I wonder where we're going to get all this." And then a thought hit him like a thunderbolt. The bottom of his stomach dropped out. "And how Miranda's going to _ pay _for all of this..."

Dudley looked up at Harry who shrugged, a little more carelessly than Dudley thought was necessary. "I'll bet Gran and Gramps will help," Harry theorized, referring to Miranda's parents. Dudley frowned.

"I don't know..."

"They're wizards, right? They've got to know what to do. Or maybe we've qualified for a scholarship."

Dudley flushed. He knew his grades weren't up to a scholarship level and he knew that Harry's grades weren't much better. He seriously doubted that they'd get one. He sighed. _ How could Miranda pay for both of them? _ "This stuff can't be cheap," he said quietly, looking at the list.

"It'll work out," Harry said, reaching over and playfully punching Dudley on the shoulder. "Don’t worry so much.”

“You don’t worry enough, sometimes.” Dudley couldn’t stifle a sudden jaw-splitting yawn. "I'm going to sleep," he announced, giving his cousin a look. Harry rolled his eyes and got up.

"Night, D," he said, sneaking back out of Dudley's room. Dudley waved at him, his face falling as the door closed. He hadn't even thought of how they were going to pay for everything. And where would they get everything? Was there, like, a shop somewhere? Maybe it was disguised, Miranda had said that the wizarding community hid from Muggles. 

He fell asleep thinking about how they would hide shops and dragons from Muggle eyes. He dreamed of wizard hats and castles and shops with false fronts.

Dudley was woken up the next morning by the smell of bacon and maple syrup. He pulled on a dressing robe and shuffled out to the kitchen, yawning. Harry followed suit, his hair sticking out a little bit more than usual. Dudley supposed Harry’d had the same restless sleep that he'd had.

"Good morning, boys," Miranda beamed, turning to greet them. Dudley was a little surprised to see her already dressed for the day with a pretty blouse and slacks combination that she usually wore when they’d have a big shopping day. He glanced at the table and was even more surprised to see the mountain of food on it. Platters of bacon, extra pancakes, a jug of maple syrup, and coffee and tea brewing. 

“Why’re there four places?” Harry asked, already sitting at the table and looking at the extra plate with a confused furrow on his face.

Miranda slid more pancakes onto the serving platter. "We're going to be having company this morning, and we’ll be spending the day out, so I need you to go and change into appropriate clothes, okay?"

Dudley and Harry groaned but shuffled back to their rooms. Dudley snagged a piece of bacon before leaving. Dudley yawned and got dressed in his favorite polo and jeans, before gathering up his socks and trainers. He went back out to the kitchen, where Miranda was pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Who's coming?" he asked, putting his trainers in the living room. Miranda blew on the steaming tea.

"The Headmaster of Hogwarts is sending the Keeper of the Keys to escort us to London. We'll be getting your school supplies there."

Dudley’s eyes widened and he felt his heart start to pound. "Wait, what? We're getting them already? But, but, we just got our letters yesterday."

Miranda nodded. "I know, but the Headmaster insisted. The owl he sent wouldn't take no for an answer. The Keeper of the Keys will be here soon." She smiled as Harry shuffled back into the kitchen, wearing his flannel shirt over a plain t-shirt and jeans, scratching at his head. "Go ahead and start eating boys, while the pancakes are still hot."

Dudley grinned. Miranda didn't need to tell him twice. He grabbed four pancakes and coated them with maple syrup. "Why is the Headmaster sending the...the Keeper of the Keys to escort us?" he asked, picking a few extra strips of bacon. Harry's eyebrows shot up into his hair.

Miranda gave a very small yawn. "Well, my best guess would be that since I'm still considered in all respects to be a Muggle, he feels that having an escort would be beneficial, especially for our first time going to the wizarding world." 

Dudley almost didn't catch that hint of sadness at the very edges of her voice this time. But there it was, hidden behind her words. Why did she sound like that? He had heard the same tone when she had spoken of the way that she had raised them last night. Did she regret that they got their letters? Or was it something else? 

He looked down and cut into his pancakes. He guessed that it wasn't right to ask her right now.

"What's a Keeper of the Keys?" Harry asked, making a sandwich out of his bacon and pancakes. Miranda smiled, sitting in her usual spot.

"I think it's like a groundskeeper," she said, sipping at her tea. "He probably takes care of the grounds of Hogwarts and watches over it."

Harry and Dudley nodded, the talk becoming forgotten in favor of Miranda's pancakes. Miranda kept looking at her watch, then at the door or at the fireplace. Dudley finished off his pancakes and just as he was about to help himself to more, three thunderous knocks sounded from the front door.

"Coming!" Miranda called, setting her teacup down. "That'll be him," she said unnecessarily. Dudley and Harry jumped up too, they wanted to see their first wizard. They peeked around the kitchen door frame, watching as Miranda opened the door.

"Hello!" She chirped, stepping aside. "Come in, I have breakfast ready if you'd like to join us."

"Well, if yeh insist." chuckled the gigantic mountain of a man that stepped into their foyer. 

Dudley and Harry's eyes bugged out and their mouths fell open as they stared at the wizard. He was taller than the ceiling, he had to stoop so that his head wouldn't go crashing through the ceiling. He was wearing an enormous furry overcoat and was carrying a bright pink umbrella. His face was hidden by the wild scraggly beard that melded into the long mane of hair, but Dudley could see his eyes, twinkling like two black beetles. 

Dudley didn't mean to stare, but he couldn't take his eyes off of this man. The man smiled at Miranda as she closed the door and turned to spot the two boys staring at him from the kitchen door frame. 

"An' here's Harry!" he boomed.

"And Dudley," Miranda said, nodding at the boys. The mountain man walked a few steps down the hall and stopped in front of them. The black beetle eyes twinkled at them.

"Last time I saw yeh, yeh was only a baby." 

Dudley and Harry didn't say anything. 

The giant laughed, a great booming sound. "Sorry, I haven't introduced meself. Name's Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."


	3. Behind the Bricks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wotcher and hello!
> 
> First of all, thank you to everyone who left kudos, bookmarked, and commented on this story so far. Your support means a great deal to me and I only hope that you continue to find enjoyment in this fanfiction.
> 
> Second of all, this chapter is now officially updated and matches the chapter set up on fanfiction.net. If you want to go and check it out on there, my username is frodoschick.
> 
> Thank you so much for checking this story out. I know I've been away for a long time, but doing two Masters' degrees is really taking a toll on me that I hadn't anticipated. I really hope y'all enjoy this latest. It's a bit of a shorter chapter, but I promise the next one will be really long!
> 
> Thank you again! Read on!

Dudley and Harry sat at their regular seats, both still staring at Hagrid. Hagrid had taken the fourth seat at the table and was currently accepting a cup of tea from Miranda. Dudley and Harry fidgeted nervously but patiently waited until Miranda had taken her seat with her own cup of tea before they exploded.

"Are you a wizard?" Dudley blurted.

"What is a Keeper of the Keys?" Harry followed. Dudley could see Hagrid take a breath as if to answer them, but he and Harry kept going, all their questions spilling out in a torrent that threatened to wash everyone away.

"What is Hogwarts?"

"What is it like there?"

"How big is it?"

"Do you have a wand? Can we see it?"

"Why do you have a pink umbrella?"

"Why are you so tall?"

"Did you know my parents?"

"Yeah, did you know his-?"

"Boys, boys!" Miranda scolded, flapping her hands in a silly manner at them. "Please, one at a time. Let our guest answer before you ask another. What have I always said about questions?"

Dudley and Harry looked down at the tablecloth in a bit of shame. "When you ask a question, make sure it is polite and concise." Dudley knew they hadn't exactly been polite, but he couldn't help it. So many questions had exploded into his head when he had seen Hagrid. Hagrid was their first real wizard. Cousin Diggle didn't count. 

Hagrid started to chuckle and Dudley instantly felt drawn to the deep earthiness of his laugh.

"I don' mind, Ms. Plumridge," he chuckled. "Now, as best as I kin answer...yea, I'm a wizard. But I'm untrained an’ all." When Harry opened his mouth, Miranda held up her teacher-finger. Harry quickly shut his mouth. "I...eh, I was expelled, to tell yer th’ truth. In me third year. Snapped me wand in half an' everything." 

Dudley was surprised. He started to ask, "Why?", but quickly swallowed his question. 

Hagrid chuckled. "No worries though, lads, yeh'll do jest fine. As fer me job," Hagrid puffed up with pride, growing in height and stature. "Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore. I watch over the keys of Hogwarts, tend ter the magical beasts, keep the Forbidden Forest in check-"

_ Forbidden Forest? _Dudley wondered, eyes huge. He couldn't help thinking of the various things in there that would make a forest forbidden.

"Yeh'll love Hogwarts." Hagrid continued, beaming at them both. "It's a huge castle on a cliff, overlookin' the Black Lake and skirted by th’ Forbidden Forest. It's got lots o' classrooms, the Great Hall, the owlery, a Halloween and Christmas feast, dungeons and all sorts o' secrets."

Dudley and Harry gave each other excited looks. This place sounded incredible.

"And as fer yer parents, Harry," Hagrid continued, looking at Harry with what Dudley were surprised to see were tears, "Ya, I knew 'em. An' nicer people yeh couldn't find. Anyways, when yer house was attacked-"

Harry's face grew stiff and Dudley bit at his lip. Hagrid pulled a handkerchief out of one of the pockets in his coat and blew his nose loudly. Miranda patted his arm comfortingly.

"Sorry, it's tha’ sad. Took yeh from the ruined house meself. Brought yeh ter yer aunt and uncle..." His brow crinkled. "Didn't expect yeh to have been adopted. I even went ter yer old house, but then remembered tha’ Dumbledore told me yeh was 'ere."

Harry nodded. "It's alright, Hagrid. Miranda told us the story last night." And Harry launched into the story about how they had both been adopted and what happened. Hagrid nodded in the right places and shook his head in the right places and made the right noises. Dudley cut in and added what had happened to him a few times when Harry took a breath. Hagrid beamed at both of them when the story had been wrapped up.

"So yeh both turned out t’ be wizards, eh? Can't say I'm surprised," he chuckled. Dudley and Harry both grinned. "Yeh both come from some o’ th’ finest wizard stock out there. Yer mum," he continued, looking back at Harry, "was th’ smartest witch of her age. She an’ yer Da were Head Boy an’ Girl in their day."

As Harry flushed with pride, Dudley couldn't help his stomach contracting. Harry really had all the right stuff... What did he, Dudley, have? Just his cousin. Just his famous, more wizardly cousin. He couldn't help this sinking feeling.

"It _ is _getting on in the day," Miranda said, looking up at the clock. "We'd best be heading out if we want to be home before dinner."

Hagrid looked at Miranda, honestly puzzled for a moment before he grinned and nodded. "Yea’, gotta get yer school supplies!"

Miranda stood and started to gather the plastic storage for the food. Hagrid finished up his cup of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of a moleskin coat sleeve.

"How are we going to get there?" Harry asked, quickly jumping up and going for his trainers by the door.

"I'll be driving you boys," Miranda said, motioning for Dudley to help her put the pancakes and syrup and bacon away. He hurried with the chores, eager to get on their way. "You'll be meeting us at the pub, right, Hagrid?"

Hagrid nodded, handing an eager Dudley his empty cup and saucer. "Can't fit in Muggle cars, ter tell th’ truth."

"How're you going to get there?" Dudley asked, putting the teacups and plates into the sink and running water quickly over them. "The Underground?"

"Nah," Hagrid shook his hairy head as he stood. "Gonna fly."

"YOU CAN FLY?!" Harry and Dudley both yelped, Harry dropping the trainer in his hand. Dudley snickered as Harry shoved his foot into the shoe and tried to tie it quickly.

"How can you fly if you can't use magic?" Harry asked. Dudley was surprised to be able to see Hagrid's flushed cheeks through his beard.

"Dumbledore," Hagrid said gruffly, gathering up his pink umbrella again carefully. Dudley wouldn't have been surprised if the umbrella was hiding the two pieces of Hagrid's wand. "He gave me special permission an’ all, as I'm runnin' an errand for 'im today."

"Coooool," Harry breathed, quickly lacing up his trainers. "Is it in Diagon Alley?"

"Yep," Hagrid nodded. "I'll be meetin' ya there. See yer at th’ Leaky Cauldron, Ms. Plumridge?"

"Absolutely. It may take us some time. There may not be parking near the pub," she nodded, stepping into her kitten heels that she always wore when they went out.

"Got yeh," he said, smiling. "Alright, boys, see yeh there." And with that, Hagrid walked out the door. Harry and Dudley ran after him and were out the door before it had even closed, but Hagrid was gone. They stretched their necks up and scanned the skies looking for him, but not even a dot was visible in the blue skies.

"Do you think he's invisible?" Harry asked Dudley, still looking up.

"Makes sense," Dudley nodded, turning to look for Miranda before looking back up at the sky. "He wouldn't want to be seen. Wizards are supposed to stay hidden, right?"

"Yeah, it'd be pretty weird to see a giant flying man."

"Think he's an actual giant?"

"Dunno," Harry shrugged, walking over to the car. "Maybe. He’s big enough."

"Huh," Dudley grunted, walking over as well, popping the stiffness in his neck as he did so. "Kinda funny going back to London today."

"Yeah, right?" Harry grinned. Miranda finally stepped out of the house and locked the door behind her. She hurried over and unlocked the car.

"Let's get going, boys!" she said with a smile, pulling open the car door. "It's your first trip to Diagon Alley!"

=====

Dudley looked up at the small, weather-beaten sign that swung back and forth above a dingy door. _ The Leaky Cauldron. _ Other people were hurrying up and down the street, their eyes sliding from brightly lit store display to the next storefront without even looking at the pub's entrance. He took a shaking breath. The trip had taken less time than Dudley had originally thought. Before he really knew it, they were parking and walking down the street, then they had turned a corner and _there was the sign_. Miranda took his and Harry's hands, as if for courage, then walked them up to and through the pub's door.

Dudley's first impressions were that it was dark and shabby -- dark walls and floors with mismatched chairs and tables. The brightest light in the place was coming from the fireplace way off on the far wall. The pub wasn't too busy at the moment, although there were a few women drinking from small glasses in the corner and Hagrid was at the bar, quaffing a pint of something amber-colored. He wiped his mouth and waved at them.

"Hullo, you lot!" he called out to them. "Took yeh long enough!"

Miranda smiled and shook her head. "Parking, Hagrid, _parking_."

"Oh yea’,." he smiled. He handed the bartender a few large silver coins and stood up. "Ready fer yer Hogwarts stuff?"

"Yeah!" Harry and Dudley chorused, their nerves being banished by the large gamekeeper. Dudley found him fun and cheerful. The bartender looked past Hagrid, smiling. His smile dropped off of his face as his jaw dropped open and he goggled at them. Dudley felt himself getting red in the face.

"Bless my soul..." the old bartender murmured. "Is that - can it be?"

Dudley was aware that the entire bar had gone quiet. There suddenly seemed to be a lot more people there than Dudley had first seen.

"It's Harry Potter...!" The bartender then rushed out from behind the bar, seized Harry's free hand and shook it, with tears welling up in his eyes. "Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back!"

They were mobbed. The entire bar wanted to shake Harry's hand, introducing themselves and crowding about their small family.

"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, I can't believe I'm meeting you at last."

"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."

"I've always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all aflutter."

They were surrounded for at least ten more minutes, Harry shaking every single hand in the place. Dudley noticed that Doris Crockford kept trying to come back for more.

"Harry! Dudley!" squeaked a very familiar voice from behind Hagrid. Cousin Diggle came out from behind Hagrid, wearing his normal violet top hat and hugged Harry. Dudley saw mouths drop all around the pub and had a feeling that Cousin Diggle had been waiting for this moment since they had walked into the pub. "I thought I'd come by and see you boys off to Diagon!" He squeaked excitedly. "We all had a feeling, boys, we all had a feeling!" Cousin Diggle said as he tapped the side of his nose with a broad wink.

Harry blushed slightly and Dudley laughed. Doris Crockford looked especially jealous. "Good luck to you, boys." Cousin Diggle smiled, clapping them both on the back. "Welcome to the Wizarding World."

The crowd pressed forward even more, asking Harry questions that Dudley thought they had no business asking and demanding handshakes. Cousin Diggle shook Miranda's hand and disappeared, squeaking out something about work. Miranda shouted after him that they would be _chatting about this later!_ The crowd wouldn't disperse.

Finally, Miranda had had enough. She motioned to Hagrid, who came to the rescue. He came up, brushing the crowds aside like they were wisps in the wind. Hagrid pushed the family through the crowd, saying "Got lots ter buy, it's time we were off."

The crowd dispersed, some looking disappointed. Dudley chanced a peek at his cousin, who was looking a touch shell-shocked. Miranda gave their hands a reassuring squeeze.

"Told you that you were famous, Harry," Miranda said, smiling. "That's just a taste of what will follow you through the Wizarding World."

"Oh, hullo there, Professor!" Hagrid boomed, waving at a pale young man who approached, wearing a turban and a shaky smile. "Boys, this here is Professor Quirrell. He'll be yer Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Oh, hello!" Miranda beamed. Dudley could tell she was thrilled to be meeting one of their prospective teachers. "How do you do?"

"W-W-Well, t-thank you." Professor Quirrell said with a very pronounced shudder. Dudley blinked in surprise. Professor Quirrell first shook Miranda's hand, then Harry's, then Dudley's. Dudley thought that the Professor's handshake was timid and he pulled back quickly. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose?" He inquired of Miranda who nodded. "I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the thought.

"Good luck, Professor," Harry said, making Professor Quirrell smile shakily, as Miranda made their goodbyes and Hagrid steered them towards the back of the pub. Hagrid led them out of the bar and into a small walled courtyard.

"Told yeh, didn't we, Harry." Hagrid beamed. "Told yeh you was famous! Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."

"Is he always that nervous?" Harry asked. Miranda gave a small sigh. Dudley knew why; Miranda always told them to refrain from asking adults personal questions that they may be uncomfortable answering. But Hagrid didn't even seem to notice.

"Oh, yea'," Hagrid nodded, getting his pink umbrella ready. "Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some first-hand experience...They say he met vampires in th' Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject - needs a holiday, if you ask me."

Hagrid started counting bricks. Dudley tilted his head curiously, then Miranda gripped their hands.

"Here we go..." she said quietly, keeping her eyes on the wall in front of them. "I haven't been here in such a long time."

Dudley was confused for a second before the brick wall in front of them started to shift, wiggle, twist - a hole appeared - it grew larger and larger, the bricks twisting one after another, opening an archway large enough for all four of them to pass comfortably through. It opened onto the most amazing street that Dudley Dursley had ever seen in his entire life. Brightly colored storefronts with moving, glittering displays. Witches and wizards in robes of all colors milled around, looking through the windows at the wares on sale. Cauldrons of all shapes and sizes were piled up outside of one store, there were signs hanging from just about every opening.

Miranda and Hagrid ushered them through the archway, which closed behind them to a seamless brick wall once more. The cobblestone street twisted and turned and ended at the very end at an enormous white marble building.

"Gringotts, the wizards' bank!" Hagrid grunted, pointing it out to them. "Tain't no safer place, not one. Except perhaps Hogwarts." They strode up the street towards it, passing witches haggling over potions supplies and boys about a few years older than Dudley drooling over a display in a shop called "Quality Quidditch Supplies". Dudley kept swiveling his head and trying to see everything at once.

They made their way to the bright white building, went up the white marble steps and through the bronze doors. Dudley and Harry stared at the security guard who couldn't have been anything other than a goblin.

"Clever as they come, goblins, but not the most friendly of beasts," Hagrid murmured to them as they entered the entry hall, where they faced a second set of doors, silver, with writing etched upon it. Dudley and Harry pulled Miranda to a stop so that they could read it. Hagrid gave them a bit of a look, but smiled.

Dudley thought it was an excellent poem, although they hadn't covered poem styles or anything except for the "AABB", "ABAB" or "ABBA" rhyming rules.

_ Enter, stranger, but take heed _

_ Of what awaits the sin of greed, _

_ For those who take, but do not earn, _

_ Must pay most dearly in their turn. _

_ So if you seek beneath our floors _

_ A treasure that was never yours, _

_ Thief, you have been warned, beware _

_ Of finding more than treasure there. _

"Yeh'd be mad to try to rob it," Hagrid said quietly as they passed the bowing entry goblin and entered the long main chamber of Gringotts. It was huge, seemingly carved from a single huge marble rock. The walls were lined with desks of goblins, doing calculations, weighing rubies the size of a baby's fist, counting coins. There must have been hundreds of them. There were innumerable doors leading from the hall. Three enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, at the best points to show them off. Dudley felt small in such a large space.

"Miranda, if it's alright with ye, I'll take Harry down to 'is vault." Hagrid said, clapping Harry on the shoulder. Dudley saw his cousin's knees buckle. Miranda nodded, smiling.

"Yes, of course," she motioned with her head towards the goblin that seemed to have a few people in a line to see him. "I need to exchange some money."

"Harry has a vault?!" Dudley blurted out, cheeks growing red. "Seriously?!"

Dudley saw Harry flush.

"Yea', his parents left it to 'im," Hagrid said gruffly, giving Dudley a look that Dudley gave him right back. "He's gotta buy 'is school supplies, don't he?"

Dudley opened his mouth but Miranda gently pulled him away, towards the currency exchange goblin. "We'll see you when you finish up, Hagrid," she said pointedly, arching her eyebrow.

Hagrid took her meaning and hurried Harry away, towards the end of the hall where an old goblin waited at a tall podium.

Miranda yanked Dudley to face her and Dudley was shocked to see her glaring. "Just what do you think you're doing, young man?" she demanded.

Dudley tried to force his eyes to cease glowering. He shouldn't glare at Miranda, it never ended well. "Harry gets a _vault_ but you have to exchange your money?" He argued, crossing his arms in front of him. "It's not fair! Suddenly, Harry has wizard money. He should give the vault to you."

"And why do you think that?" Miranda asked with a sigh. "Because I've taken care of him and you feel that he needs to pay me back?"

"Or something," Dudley muttered, feeling some shame creeping up around his heart. "I mean, it's just not fair."

Miranda took Dudley's shoulders and he forced himself to look into her eyes. "Dudley, Harry didn't know about this vault. I didn't know about this vault. There's a reason for everything." She gave him her sternest look when he opened his mouth again. "I thought I taught you better, Dudley." Dudley felt like a lightning bolt had just struck him. The shame welled up until he was feeling sick. "Whatever I have done for the two of you has been a gift, given freely. You don't have to pay me back nor do I wish you to pay me back. I do not want Harry's money. That is his, to do with what he wishes. I believe his parents left it to the executor of their will, to be accessed by Harry when he turned eleven, to be used for school. This is not something to be jealous of. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Miranda." Dudley agreed, hanging his head. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Dudley." Miranda said, pulling back gently. "I want you to apologize to Hagrid and Harry when they come back."

Dudley nodded. He hadn't thought about it like that. Harry's parents had kept it from Harry while he was growing up so that it could be used for school. It wasn't meant to be spiteful or anything.

_It's not like his parents...expected to be murdered or anything... _

Dudley joined Miranda in the small line at the currency exchange goblin. Either things were more complicated than they seemed...or a lot more simple.


End file.
